desolated

verb

past tense of desolate
as in destroyed
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of totally desolated the city with aerial bombs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for desolated
  1. destroyed
  2. ruined
  3. devastated
  4. demolished
  5. shattered
  6. wrecked
Verb
  • Climate change was considered a factor in the December 2021 wildfire that destroyed Somauroo's home, after the county's suit was originally filed.
    — LINDSAY WHITEHURST, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Climate change was considered a factor in the 2021 Marshall Fire that destroyed Somauroo’s home, after the county's suit was originally filed.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroyed
Verb
  • As Vanderslice unwittingly contributed to the story with some quotes, not realizing the tone and direction of the article, his candidacy was derailed and his credibility ruined.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Some suburbs battled soil erosion, which ruined rivers and contaminated drinking water.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of ruined
Verb
  • Palestinian farmer Saad Nemer of Fasayil said the water being cut off has devastated his fields, adding that his family has documents that prove ownership of the land.
    — Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Much of the worry from locals came from hurricanes in past years that devastated cities along the Pacific coast.
    — MEGAN JANETSKY, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of devastated
Verb
  • The site includes four buildings that will possibly be demolished, if the plan is approved by the city.
    — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
  • After more than 80 years, crews this week demolished a historic bridge that carried travelers across the Mississippi River between Missouri and downstate Illinois.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of demolished
Verb
  • When Lee is so clearly shattered, sitting at home in silence and in darkness?
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • This trust, known as the presumption of regularity, has been shattered, and a growing number of judges have expressed frustration and alarm.
    — Eyal Press, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of shattered
Verb
  • The Nantucket Current reported that the wreck is likely part of a 19th-century wooden ship that wrecked near Miacomet Beach in 1884.
    — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The plant’s interior pot has drainage holes, hidden in the cachepot, so your plant won’t drown and your hardwoods won’t get wrecked.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of wrecked
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

desolate
desolated
desolateness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Desolated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desolated. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All